St. Landry democrat., 1887-02-05

HN.1
youthful wandering; thy days of manic
trW1sgesslons; thy sins-dark, broodin
dreadful sins-against thy SOUL again
thy Bible, against thy God.
In one Of the benevolent institutions
Europe where the destitute are nrov;d<
Tor the new corners have their photoeranI
taken while in rags before they are washe
SO mat they may always have in the nj
, ure reminder of the degradation fro,
winch they were lifted; so in his book o.
kes1ns before thee picture Of thy forme
destitCtlon and raggedness of soul Flv low
1t is an offended God before whom thou CON
est. Thou oeservest His wrath. He Scat
tered the one hundred and eightv-fv
thousand Sennacherib's host in a NIGHT
He abhors sin; He viii judge the nations
holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almipbty
| Fly low "
a thousand years ago an emperor Dlant
! ca rose bush from which roses arr
| plucked to-day At the foot of the eros.
| nearly nineteen centuries ago a rose wa,
planted which blooms to-day; STOOD down
II thou Wouldst pluck it. O, for moro ~
the child-like spirit! / rejoice in the bn
lief that those who come to Christ TODAY
come aware of their sins and their wants
and have learned how to fly low.
Again, these persons who come TO-DAY
are like doves on their way to the dovn-cote
because they fly for shelter The albatrose
makes throne of the tempest: the sea
gulls find their grandcst frolic in the storm
their mcrriest hour seems to be that in
which the surf of the sea piles most hioh.
NOT so with doves. At the first blow of
the northeaster they fly to the coop. Eagle
contends with eagle in mid-air, and yulture
nights vulture on the bosom of the carcass,
but doves at the first dash of the bird of
prey speed for shelter from fiery eye and
iron beak and loathsome talon.
So to-day these souls come here for
shelter Every one has besetting sin:
that sin IS always after you. The robber
watches you when you come out of the
bank; sees in what pocket you put the
money; notices where you go to dine, and
where you sleep, and what kind OF lock
you have on your door; SO there is some sin
ever on mans track. It goes with him
to the store; it sits on the money safe: it
looks over his shoulder while he makes out
the bill Of lading; it goes out with him to
dine; it walks home with him at night.
AS to some dog that you do not want to
follow you but persists, you say to it:
Back home with you!' You stone it
away and start on. After awhile, casually
turning your eye, you find it close after
you with sneaking look
Wherever you go, sin goes; where you
stay, sin stays. You have watched the
hawk above the barnyard; it sails around
and around over the brood of chick
ems = around and around, now al
most down to the flock, then back again,
until at last it drops and seizes the prey.
There is hawk ready to pounce on every
dove, and that is the reason that these
doves come to-day to the Windows-they
want shelter in the grace of God and in
Christian associations. They say: 20 If
there be any power in your prayers, let me
have them; ii there be any virtue in good
give them to me; if there be any
thing elevating in Christian associations,
let me feel their influence" "Where thou
dwellest will dwell. Thy people shall be
my people, thy God my God!n Open your
doors, oh, Church of God and let them
come in ''as doves to their windows"
Christ is the only shelter of the soul in
trouble. What can you do without him |
when sorrow coness Perhaps at first you
take valerian to quiet your nerves or al |
,ohol to revive your spirits; but have you |
found any thing in the medicines or phys |
cal stimulants sufficient Perhaps in the |
of the money market or in the |
nerry-making of the club you have sought |
'elicf This world has no balsam for a |
soul, no shelter for a bruised |
spirit.
The dove in the time of the deluge few
lorth, and it was all water, in which were
ossed the carcasses of the dead world, and |
he first solid thing that the doves feet
ouched was the window of the ark. So
he soul in trouble goes out in one direc-
ion and finds nothing substantial to rest
lpon, and in another. direction and every
whittier, but there is no rest for the dove
ave the ark
Substantial comfort will not grow
In natures barren soil;
All we can boast. till Christ we know,
Is vanity and toll.
But where the Lord has planted grace,
And made His glories known,
There fruits OF Heavenly joys are found,
And there alone"
You lost parent; some one said that it
vas in the regular course of nature that
our father should expire. Did that COM
ort you? You lost a child; somebody said
that child had lived it might have turned
ut badly. Did that comfort you? You
ost your property; they told you that
lches were very uncertain. You knew
nat before. You were sick; they ex-
lained to you that the difficulty was in the
ecretions or in the sciatlc nerve. Did
nat soothe youa o, the despicable quack-
~ Of earthly comfortl
But when Christ comes to the soul and
avs: Il took your estate because WANTED
give you more valuable treasures; ! made
gu sick in body that your soul might be
rought up to eternal health; took your
wed ones away because I have better
nd brighter place for them in My own
the wound heals; then
le tears dry off the face; then God has {
ecome the everlasting portion Of the soul.
Oh, the air is full of black wings and
lvens' beaks. They join their wings of
arkness until they shut out the light Of {
le sun. They have fattened on the car
uses of men. Their clangor is horrible :
the ear-trouble and disease and death '